Material handling box with return chute



Feb. '5, 1957 g, JQHNSQN 2,780,393

MATERIAL HANDLING BOX WITH RETURN CHUTE Filed Jan. 2 1955 INVENTOR. Richard C. (Johnson A T TORNEY 2,780,393 r MATERIAL HANDLINGBOXVWITH RETURN CHUTE Richard C. Johnson, Hubbard, Ohio, assignor to The Powell Pressed Steel Company, Hubbard, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio a a A V 1 Application January 26, 1955, Serial 484,245

scaring; (Cir-22.485

V This invention relates to a material handling box and stand combination and more particularly to a device of the class described wherein a return chute is incorporated in the stand portion of the combination to receive and direct workpieces to a secondary box.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a material handling box and stand incorporating a return chute. v

A further object of the inventionris the provision of a material handling boxand stand in which a pairof material handling boxes maybe positioned, one arranged to deliverworkpieces to the stand and the other arranged to receive workpieces from a chute incorporated in. the stand.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a material handling box and stand that considerably reduces handling of workpieces. a v, g

A still further object of-the invention is the provision of a material handling box and stand that provides a single station unit for a workman enabling him to pick up a workpiece, perform an operation thereon and return it to the same stand but to a different material handling box.

2,780,393 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 box and stand incorporating the delivery chute and secondary material handling box.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the material handling box and stand taken on a reducedscale.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional detail elevation of a portion of the hopper and stand illustrating the chute therein.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular it will beseen that the material handling box and stand combinationc'omprises'a stand formed of a plurality of vertically positioned legs and 11, the legsll being ice,

longer than the legs; 10,and located on the rear corners I V of the stand-and spaced with respect to the legs- 10 by hor- The material handling box and stand disclosed herein comprises an improvement'with respect to the material handling box and stand disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 461,263, filed October8, 1954, now Patent No. 2,762,529,'dated September 11, 1956, on Material Handling Box, in which an improved form of material handling box and receiving stand therefor is illustrated.

In the aforesaid patent application a stand incorporating box will be delivered into the open hopper from which a workman may readily secure them.

The present disclosure-relates to an improvement with izontally disposed framing members 12 and 13, respectively.. i

The legs 10and ll'of the stand are separated trans versely by framing members Hand 15, it being observed that the framing members 12 comprise anglesadapted to receive and retaina material handling box 16 in a position partially beneath a hopper on the forward portion of the stand.

The hopper comprises a bottom member 17 having an opening 18 centrally disposed therein. The front wall 19 of the bottom member 17 is upturned as is the rear portion 20 and the hopper is further defined by end sec-' tions 21-21 secured to the ends of the bottom member 17. The. opening 18 in-the bottom member 17 is located 7 conforms in shape with the shape of the opening 18.

It will occur to those skilled in-the art that if desired the chute may comprise a tubular member of a similar a shape positioned completelythrough the bottom member 17 and extending inwardly and downwardly with respect to the bottom member 17 so that workpieces deposited in the chute 'will be delivered into the secondary material handling box 16 regardless of its position in the stand.

. The formation of the chute defining wall 22 is particularly advantageousin permitting the disposition of various respect to the material handling box and stand just de scribed in that the hopper includes a bottom portion having an opening therethrough and a chuteformed vertically in connection therewith extending upwardly into the hopper and providing a passageway by which workpieces may be readily deposited into a secondary material handling box disposed in the stand beneath the hopper.

With theforegoing andother objects in view which will appear as the description'proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being theintention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention. f

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the material handling shaped workpieces therethrough. Additionally, it acts as a directional bathe with respect to workpieces delivered into the hopper from a primary material handling box 23 which is positioned on the stand with its rear portions engaged on brackets 24 on the upper ends of the legs 11 and its front edge engaged over the uppermost portion of the upturned rear portion 20 of the hopper.

As best disclosed in my aforesaid co-pending patent application, the primary material handlingbox 23 is provided with a vertically movablefront access panel 25 which has an outstanding flange "26 engageable on a transversely extending member 27 which in turn is positioned across the top of the hopper and secured to the uppermost portions of the end sections 21. Thus, workpieces in the primary material handling box 23 will slide downwardly into the hopper defined by the bottom member 17 and its upturned rear and front walls and the sides 21 and will be diverted on either side of the opening 18 by the formation of the chute 22. A workman can thus pick up a workpiece from the hopper, perform an operation thereon, such as machining the same, and return it to the secondary material handling box 16 by simply positioning it in the open chute 22. The chute 22 is preferably detachably secured in the hopper assembly so that if desired it may be dispensed with and a closure member positioned on the bottom member of the hopper to close the opening 18.

It will thus be seen that the material handling box and chute attachment disclosed herein makes possible a single station productionunit which both supplies and receives workpieces at a workmans-station.

Of equal importance are the advantages of the stand and box construction with which the chute iscombined as a fork lift truck can easily and quickly position a filled handling box on the stand so that its contents are delivered into the hopper and equally readily'position an empty box in the stand to'receive the workp'iecesas they are processed. As the box is filled, it is conveniently removed therefrom by the fork lift truck and'replaced with another box, thu's'm'akingpossible a continuous production operation in a single area and increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing operation. I

It will thus be seen that the several objects of the invention are met by the material handling box and stand combination incorporating the workpiece receiving chute disclosed herein. Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1. In combination a supporting stand having a hopper with bottom, front, back and side walls, a structural member positioned across the top of the hopper and supported on said side walls, and a box having a fixed bottom removably supported on said stand, a front wall of said box having an opening therein and a slidable closure 7 mounted on said box normally registering with said open- 4 secondary material handling box positioned in said stand beneathsaid. hopper and below said opening therein.

2. The combination supporting stand and box set forth in claim 1 wherein the hopper is positioned on the front edge of the supporting stand and wherein the supporting stand has back portions extending above the top of said hopper and spaced rearwardly with respect thereto to receive and support said first mentioned material handling box in inclined position thereon and wherein said supporting stand has horizontally disposed members below said hopper for receiving said'se condary material handling box.

3. The combination supporting stand and box set'forth in claim 1 and wherein the chute defining wall member is detachably positioned insaid hopper in registry with said opening and removable from said hopper and wherein a closure member is provided to close the opening in said hopper.

4. The combination supporting stand and'box set forth in claim 1 and wherein the chute defining wall member is tubular and forms a wall around said opening in said hopper.

5. The combination supporting stand and box set forth in claim 1 and wherein the chute defining wall member is tubular and extends through said opening in said hopper, and wherein said tubular chute defining member is removably disposed in said opening.

6. The combination supporting stand and box set forth in claim 1 and wherein the chutedefining wall takes the form of an inverted V-shaped baflie disposed'in front'of the front wall of said first mentioned box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS 2,701,030 Franklin-1..." s Feb. 1 1955 

